Deltora Empires: The Assassin
by Dark Guymelef
Summary: Was it possible? Could there possibly be a force more sinister and evil than the Shadow Lord? Is this the same force that's determined to take Lief's life? What does Jasmine have to do with it? Read to find out! LxJ
1. A Being More Sinister

Deltora Empires: The Assassin

Chapter 1

A Being More Sinister

Gray clouds covered the sky as a young man and his steed trotted down the side of the mountain. The man knew very well where he was, and that now there was no way back. He had waited a long, long time for this moment – longer than anyone would have guessed.

His short black hair moved only slightly in the wind. His black tunic and cloak flapped as his black horse galloped a little ways onto a dead and cracked plain, a plain that was bleached white and extended as far as the eye could see.

The young man dismounted and looked around the Shadowlands. His steel gray eyes squinted at the horizon. Seemingly satisfied, the black-clad man mounted his horse with a smirk on his face. Then he urged his steed into a steady gallop further along the plain.

The horse moved forward fearlessly, with complete trust in its master. They passed many twisted horrors, known as the Wild Ones, the experiments of the Shadow Lord. For some reason though, the Wild Ones shrank away from this being as he passed, as if they sensed a great evil and malice emanating from the man.

Finally, after a few hours of riding, the young man saw a huge fortress looming on the horizon. He stopped his mount from going any farther, a huge grin spread over his face. At long last he had found it, with its huge towers and parapets reaching for the sky- The Shadow Lord's fortress.

The man drew in a long breath, "SHADOW LORD!" he bellowed.

He got the reaction he desired immediately. The gray clouds became tinted with red and thunder rolled across the valley. Red smoke began to form at the tallest tower, with and inky darkness at its heart. The wind began to blow, more foul than before.

"I have waited a long time for this day," the young man yelled, "I have come to restore the oldest and greatest empire the world has ever known. To do that, I need your power, but in this empire can only be ruled by one person, and it most definitely won't be you."

There was a low clap of thunder like a growl, and the wind howled before dying completely. The gates of the fortress began to slowly slide open. From it, the Shadow Lord's servants flooded the open plain. Grey guards, vraals, and ols all began marching toward the lone figure. Behind him, there were the howls of the Shadow Lord's many wild creations, all coming to do the Shadow Lord's will.

As the Shadow Lord's minions surrounded him and pressed inward, the man just sat upon his horse with a now sinister look on his face. As the massive horde came ever closer, he jumped from the saddle high into the air, spinning. He might have resembled an acrobat, if it wasn't for the explosive balls of fire he was shooting all over the place. The fireballs were launched into the horde, burning hundreds. Their screams wrent the air.

As the man landed on his feet, the Grey Guards closest to him began firing blisters at him. With lightning reflexes, the lone figure drew its sword, a wickedly long katana, and charged forward. He deftly dodged all of the blisters, and lunged blade first into the charging minions. He slashed and parried, his blade glinting in the little, now fading light.

However, for as great as his skills with a sword were, his enemies' numbers were too great. They pressed inward, forming a tight circle around the man that was barely outside the reach of his blade. Suddenly, he stopped and stood still in the middle of the circle, his head and shoulders drooped, leaning on his sword.

The mass of evil beings charged forward. Their claws, fangs, and swords outstretched, inches from him. They yelled in triumph as they saw a sure victory.

However, the man suddenly raised his head, his arms outstretched. Black smoke issued from him in a powerful wave, engulfing everything. Those who weren't blown away by the shockwave were attacked by the black smoke, which either left the burned bones of its victims behind or disintegrated them entirely.

The Shadow Lord roared in anger as his army was blown away. How could this man be so powerful? The Shadow Lord focused his will and power on a few surviving vraals, increasing their combat abilities. With amazing speed and agility, they leapt forward, ready to kill their challenge.

The man reacted quickly. Spinning around, he drew his sword from the ground and thrust the blade so far into the gaping maw of the nearest vraal that the blade came out the back of its head. In a blur, he withdrew the sword to parry a blow from the next vraal. After blocking it, he sent its head soaring into the air. Then he dodged a lunge from the last one, and stabbed its back, pinning it to the ground.

As the stragglers of what remained of the Shadow Lord's hastily summoned army staggered away, the attacker turned to face the only enemy who could not be heard by his sword. He could tell by the rapid swirling of the red smoke and the way the darkness inside it seemed to pulse, that the Shadow Lord was furious. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed from the sky, striking the man throwing him to the ground.

While he struggled to get up, the Shadow Lord lunged forward. The red smoke formed his large, evil hands, and red eyes glared from the pulsing darkness. However, black smoke again issued from his prey, shooting towards him. The Shadow Lord suddenly found himself using enormous amounts of his own power to keep the attack at bay.

Then, something began to happen that caused even the great Shadow Lord to yell in surprise. It started off slowly, but soon began gain pace. The smoke and darkness that was the Shadow Lord was being sucked toward the man, he was absorbing it! Too late, the Shadow Lord tried to pull away. He was absorbed by the stranger, who felt all knew power flow through his vanes. But the Shadow Lord would soon see that it wasn't as bad as he had thought. For not only had his attacker absorbed his power, but also his hate and malice as well. He also gained glimpses into the young man's mind. It was through one of these glimpses that he saw that, through this man, the Shadow Lord would soon have revenge.

As the yet more powerful being mounted his horse, which had vanished into black smoke during the attack, the Shadowlands began to change. Permanent, impenetrable darkness began to spread over it. Smoker curled up from the ground, and evil whispers were carried on the wind. As the man turned and rode back towards the mountains, he did not stop to watch as thousands of bony hands erupted from the ground.


	2. Festival

Chapter 2

Festival

The sky was forget-me-not blue, with not a cloud in the sky. The people of Del bustled back and forth in the growing city. People who had come from all over Deltora filled hotels. Decorations were put up and excitement filled the air as the city prepared for the anniversary of Deltora's freedom from the Shadow Lord.

"Uuughhaahhh!" King Lief yelled from inside the palace gardens as he was tackled by two young twin boys. The boys wrestled with their father as their mother and older sister, Anna, watched from a bench not far away. Queen Jasmine smiled as she watched her husband play with the boys.

Though they did not live in the palace, they all came here during the day because their father and mother had work to do here. On rare occasions, the whole family would spend the night at the palace because of the large amount of work Lief would have. To make up for the amount of time spent their, Lief had tried very hard to make Jasmine feel at home in the gardens. Sometimes, Lief would be granted a day off by the people, because they felt that, with how hard the king worked, he deserved time to rest and spend with his family. Even on busy days like today, Lief looked for every opportunity possible to be with his family.

Jasmine turned to look at her Anna, who was now playing with Filli. She had missed her own home in the Forests of Silence at first, but her love and joy of being around her family had helped her overcome that. Now, she even helped Lief with some of his duties, for the first time seeing just how much work he had to do.

"Hey Lief, Jasmine!" a familiar voice yelled to them. The whole family turned, smiling, at its owner, Barda.

"Uncle Barda!" the children yelled as they ran towards him. Barda may not have been Captain of the guards anymore, but he still didn't miss a chance to visit. Lief had even made him the first knight in Deltora since before the invasion of the Shadow Lord.

Barda stooped to hug the three young children, only for them to run right past him toward the many young children behind him. Barda laughed as he stood up and Lindal came to join him, their fifth child in her arms. They left the others to play and joined the king and queen.

"It's good to see you again," Barda said as he hugged Jasmine and shook Lief's hand.

"It's good to see you too," Jasmine replied. She then turned to Lindal and her baby.

"Lief," Barda whispered as he shook the young king's hand, "We met Gla-thon on the way here and brought her with us. She wants to speak with you, says it is urgent."

"Alright," Lief said, "Thank you Barda. It is good to see you, old friend." Lief turned to Jasmine and gave her a quick kiss before saying, "I need to go take care of something, I'll be right back."

"Ok," Jasmine told him. With that, she turned to talk to Barda and Lindal as Lief walked back to the castle.

The King found Gla-thon the dread gnome waiting for him in the entrance hall. He smiled at her as he greeted her, "Gla-thon, old friend, it's been a while."

"Good morning, King Lief," the dread gnome bowed, "I have something important to tell you. Perhaps somewhere more private," She gestured to the servants rushing back and forth everywhere.

"Of course," Lief said. He led Gla-thon to his study. Once they entered, Lief shut the door and turned to her. His face was serious; he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what the visitor from Dread Mountain had to tell him.

"Lief," Gla-thon began, "something's going on in the Shadow Lands. A few days ago we all heard a terrible roar, and then the clouds began to change. They are dark and black now instead of their usual grey. The darker creatures that used to haunt the area around Dread Mountain have gone into the Shadow Lands, and it's as if the Shadow Lord's evil is penetrating the mountain. Our people are getting sick with worry. There have been many reports of strange shadows and noises, and already two of our people have disappeared!"

Lief's stomach churned and he was filled with dread. He had feared something like this would happen, but why now of all times! Taking a deep breath, he touched the topaz to clear his mind. He thought for a while before answering, "Alright. I'll make arrangements to leave as soon as I can. I'm afraid that it's going to have to wait till after the festival, however."

Gla-thon bowed low and answered, "Thank you, King Lief."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. One of the guards guarding the room spoke through it, "Your Majesty, Lady Sharn is looking for you. She awaits you in the great hall."

"Thank you," Lief called back. Then, turning back to Gla-thon, "I will arrange a room for you here. Please try to enjoy the festival as I will even with these bad tidings on my mind."

As it turned out, Sharn wanted Lief to observe the decorating. He spent the rest of the day walking about the castle and the city, giving his approval and help to those decorating. The people were very pleased that, on this busy day, their King was out among them.

That night, Jasmine was found wandering the palace, searching for Lief. She had not seen him since dinner, and it was very late. The children had already been tucked in bed and were fast asleep. After being assured by a very tired Marilen that Lief had not been in the library, she only had one place left to check.

Jasmine quietly pushed open the door to the King's study. There, sitting at his desk, half-asleep, was Lief. A low burning candle lit his bored and tired face as well as the papers he had spent the last few hours signing. Jasmine smiled as she approached and the tired king looked up.

"Jasmine. Is it that late already?" Lief asked.

Jasmine grabbed Lief's arm and helped him from the chair, "C'mon sleepy head," she teased, "Let's go to bed. You've done enough work for a week, and the people appreciate it."

The two of them walked back to their bedchamber. They had decided earlier to spend the night here because of the large event. As they got into bed and Jasmine cuddled up to Lief, her head on his shoulder, the young king looked at her and smiled.

"Jasmine?"

"Mhmm." Was Jasmine's mumbled answer.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome, Lief," she yawned.

Lief smiled a little bit, then said, "I love you Jasmine."

Jasmine's soft, steady breathing was his answer.

The next day was one that would be remembered for years to come. The festival started with a parade led by the royal family, which went through the main street to the city square. Here, Lief opened the carnival and other activities that would continue throughout the day. He and Jasmine spent the time up until lunch chasing their children from one point to the next. They did have a good laugh at watching Lindal and Barda try to at least somewhat contain the excited energy of their five children.

At lunch, the attendees of the carnival sat at many long, huge tables. Lief, starving after the day's events, attacked his food like a starved dragon. Doom, Sharn, Jasmine, Lindal, Barda, and the other adults laughed as the children stared in wonder at the speed at which Lief consumed his food. Jarred and Endon attempted to mimic their father, only to have food caked on their face and their mother fussing over them.

No one noticed a figure in a black cloak peering out at the assembly from the trees. He watched with a smile that was near a sneer as the king gobbled down his food without once looking at the jeweled belt around his waste.

_He has forgotten to be cautious. _The man thought. _Your arrogance will be your undoing, Lief of Del._ With that, he slid into the trees in the direction of the castle.

The rest of the day continued much as it already had, except for a magnificent fireworks show and an appearance by the Topaz dragon. As the dragon's fire and the fireworks lit the air, Jasmine slipped her hand into Lief's and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Look," she said, pointing a little ways in front of them.

Lief looked and saw Anna, Jarred, and Endon, all staring at the sky. They were captivated; Anna would ohh and ahh while her brothers squealed with delight at every firework or flaming breath from the dragon.

Later that night at the forge, after the children were in bed, Lief told Jasmine what Gla-thon had told him. He also told her of his plans to leave for Dread Mountain in two days. When he told her that she would be staying with the children in Del, Jasmine objected.

"No, Lief! How can you expect me to let you go running off to danger without me?"

"Jasmine," Lief tried to persuade her, "the children need you here. I know that whenever we toured the country we would bring them with us, but they are more used to me going away for meetings. They need to have at least one of us here."

"But Lief, I can't let you go! What if something were to happen to you? What if…"

As Lief looked into her eyes, his heart and resolve melted away. He sighed and gave in, "Alright, I'll ask my mother and Doom if they will watch the children while we are away."

"Thank you Lief," Jasmine said before she kissed him passionately.


	3. Evil's Presence

Chapter 3

Evil's Presence

All of the next day was spent cleaning the city. Decorations were taken down, trash was picked up, and the left over food was distributed amongst the people. It was a very exhausting day for everyone, so Lief and his friends and family were very tired that night. Surprisingly, it was the energetic children who went out first. They were found, all huddled together under one of the palace trees, fast asleep. So, they had a quick dinner and were sent to bed.

Lief and Jasmine had invited Barda, Lindal, their children, and Gla-thon to stay the night in the forge with them. As the adults sat around the dinner table, the servants at the palace prepared their dinner, which was being provided by the people. After the food was prepared, it was loaded up on a wagon and sent to the forge.

Lief decided that the guards who guarded the forge, upon the peoples demand, should have dinner with them. Soon, as they ate their fill, the group began to play a game somewhat similar to charades. With the guards inside and all of them thoroughly enjoying the game, no one saw the hooded figure softly entering the yard.

The intruder walked up next to one of the windows of the forge that had light coming out of it. Since it was a warm night the window was open, and a gale of laughter came floating out of it. The hooded figure peered inside and saw the whole group with their backs turned to him, watching Jasmine mimic her father.

_Excellent, _he thought, _now I can continue unnoticed. _He put his hand inside his cloak and pulled out a jar. Inside it was a black and green speckled lizard. The poor creature was terrified, vainly trying to scramble up the sides of the jar. The man invaded its mind, using his power to bring it under his control. When, at last, the lizard just sat there, the man reached inside and took it out. Carefully, he set it on the windowsill. Using his mind to control it, the man sent the lizard scurrying up to the rafters.

The lizard hurried along the rafters until it was just above where Lief sat at the table. It positioned itself right above his goblet. The lizard opened its mouth wide, but quickly shut it again as Jasmine came and sat down next to Lief. Once all of those in the room had their eyes looking the other way, it opened its mouth again. It let a glob of its spit fall into the water in the goblet. The spit mixed in with the water immediately, making it unnoticeable. Its job now done, the lizard quickly scurried back to the cloaked figure by the windowsill.

The man watched eagerly as the King brought the goblet to his lips, completely unaware of the amethyst's warning. He drank the remainder of the water in the goblet, and turned back to the group. At first, nothing happened. Then, suddenly his skin turned paper white and he broke out in a cold sweat. There was a loud crash as Lief fell from his seat, shuddering violently.

Everyone in the room yelled out his name as they rushed to his side. Jasmine just knelt next to him, watching. Her mind had completely frozen. Then, a memory struck her. She quickly grabbed Lief's hand and pressed against the emerald. Lief suddenly turned over and vomited on the floor, then he just lay still, asleep. Jasmine checked his pulse and then let relief flood her mind.

Gla-thon bent down and picked up Lief's goblet. She inspected the inside of it, finding some sort of white powder on it. Satisfied, she set the goblet down on the table and turned to the rest of the group. She hesitated when she saw Jasmine, holding Lief's hand like her life depended on it. Jasmine looked up, and her eyes met Gla-thon's. _She knows,_ the gnome thought

Gla-thon cleared her throat and spoke to the room in general, "It seems that Lief was poisoned by something in his water."

Everyone exchanged nervous glances before Barda stood up. "Well, we're not doing Lief any good just standing around and letting him lay on the floor. He needs to be in a nice, warm bed." With that, Barda picked Lief up and followed Jasmine into their bedroom.

Outside, watching the unfolding events, the cloaked assassin was twisting his hands back in forth, wringing some invisible creature. He had a look of fury on his face and began to search for something to take his anger out on. He looked down as the lizard passed by his foot. The man bent down, grabbed the lizard, and threw it into the air. In one swift moment, he drew his sword and cut the poor reptile clean in two before it hit the ground.

The cloaked man cleaned his sword on the grass and sulked back into the trees. His anger and evil permeated from him, sickening the plants around him. He stopped and spoke aloud as if to himself, "If the Queen finds out what happened here, I will know what to burn down." Then, he continued on, thinking up another plan.

Lief woke up the next afternoon with a splitting headache. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times as the room swam before him. When his eyes had finally focused, he looked around. He was in his bedroom at the forge, which was lit by sunshine coming in through two open windows.

He looked to his left and found Jasmine sitting in a chair right beside him, asleep. Disturbed by the noise he made moving around, Jasmine's eyes slowly opened. Upon seeing Lief awake, she smiled.

"What happened?" Lief asked.

Jasmine hesitated a moment before answering, "You were poisoned." Then her eyes began to tear up and she suddenly flung herself into his arms. "I-I'm so glad that you a-are okay L-Lief," she cried, "I was s-so worried."

Lief smiled as he stroked her hair. "Shh. It's alright Jasmine, I'm fine. Everything is going to be okay," he comforted her.

At that moment, the door opened and a pile of children fell into the room. At first they just stared and Lief and Jasmine, shocked that they had been discovered. Then, Lief and Jasmine began to laugh as their three children leapt up and charged forward.

"Daddy!"

They leapt up onto the bed, joining their parents. Barda and Lindal came and herded their kids from the room. Then, Barda and Gla-thon came and joined them.

"How are you feeling?" Barda asked.

"I'm fine," Lief answered. Then, he turned to Gla-thon, "I'm sorry that we didn't get to leave today, Gla-thon. I'll rearrange for us to leave tomorrow."

Jasmine and Gla-thon stared at Lief, shocked. Barda just looked confused. "You're still planning on going King Lief?" Gla-thon asked.

"Of course I am! It's my duty, and I'm sure that the assassin wanted to stop me from going there."

"Where are you planning on going, Lief?" Barda asked.

"Dread Mountain."

"And you didn't bother to invite me?" Barda yelled, startling everyone. "You finally decide to go on another adventure and didn't see if I might have wanted to go?"

"I'm sorry, Barda," Lief said, "Do you want to go with us to Dread Mountain?"

"I'd have to ok it with Lindal, but of course I want to go!"

"You'd have to check what with me?" Lindal asked as she walked into the room.

"Lief and Jasmine are heading for Dread Mountain. I wanted to see if it was ok with you if I go. I want to make sure you and the children will be ok."

Lindal sighed, "Yes it's ok. I know how much you missed journeying with them. I'm surprised at you, Lief. You're letting Jasmine come too?"

"Oh believe me, he wasn't going to let me at first," Jasmine told her, "but I managed to convince him otherwise."

Meanwhile, in a grove of trees miles away, the assassin was putting his next plot into action. He closed his eyes and allowed black smoke to flow from him into the ground at his feet. When he opened his eyes, the smoke was coming back out of the ground, forming itself into the shape of a woman.

The shadowy form began to solidify, her hair, skin, and clothing becoming visible. The woman stared around her in amazement for a moment. She looked at her surroundings and examined her own body in unbelief. Then, she looked up at the smiling man in front of her. In his eyes, she saw an evil so great, it caused even her to shiver. Finally, the question that had been on her mind fell from her lips.

"How?"

"The reason I have revived you," the man said, "is because I have a mission for you, witch Theagan."

After having said goodbye to their family members and the people of Del, Lief, Jasmine, Barda, Gla-thon, and their guards began the journey to Dread Mountain. Lief tried to plot the shortest course possible, with the troop passing through as few villages as they could. The troops first few days were pleasant, with good weather. It was on the fifth day, as they passed through a small forest, that Lief's fears were confirmed.

They had been in the forest for most of the day, and the troop had been extremely quiet since lunch, an uneasy presence had drifted over them. After an hour or two of absolutely no sound except that of the horses, Jasmine rode up and whispered to Lief.

"Lief, the trees are saying that we are being followed by a man in a black hood. He could be the assassin."

"I think he is," Lief whispered back. He quickly showed Jasmine the ruby, which had paled greatly. "It's been like that since right before lunch." Lief said.

"What is it you two?" Barda asked as he rode up to them.

"We're being followed," Lief answered.

The troop continued their trip in silence. Everyone sighed with relief when finally, nearing time for them to stop for camp, they left the forest. But no sooner had they left it than they found an injured Kin lying on the road.


End file.
